Sort Your Calves!!!!

[cswilson]

It's the same at our brandings-they aren't a social event-but it ticks me off when a cattleman who should know better starts sounding off like a card carrying PETA member. United we stand divided we fall I'm afraid-I've seen more than one guy quietly told to go unsaddle his horse when he started playing the roll at a branding. Unfortunately I've seen more calves mishandled in tipping tables than at the end of a rope. As for brands-if done properly it is a few seconds of discomfort-no worse than trying to put those #$$%^^$%& set aside tags last winter.

[cswilson]

cwilson I hope you aren't suggesting that I sound like a card carrying PETA member !!!

I certainly don't have large numbers of cattle but I have been in the business for over 30 years which I know isn't a long time compared to many cattlemen and women.

There are a lot of things that go on in agriculture that are misunderstood. Those of us that have cattle near the North Sask. river have had the city of Edmonton complaining that our cows are ruining their water supply, this coming from a city that literally uses the river as their sewer albeit they treat the sewage !!!

In the spring Edmonton water doesn't taste all that great during run off, and a lot of the city folk blame the cattle industry. Calgary is of the same mindset. The point I am making is that regardless of what is generally accepted in an agricultural operation there are more and more people that seem to take exception to it. Anyone that spends any amount of time at an auction barn can see the results of poorly applied brands, and we do have to remember that not everyone viewing these cattle are producers. Cattle running through the ring scarred by half a dozen poor brands look like they have been ill treated to the lay person, and they are the consumer.

I personally do not brand my cattle anymore, they are pastured at home and in my opinion there is really no point in putting the calves through that process if it isn't necessary. I realize that branding is necessary in large operations and cattle going to grazing reserves etc.

[cswilson]

That dodo bird post sounded like you'd just laminated your membership card.

[cowman]

I wonder just how many countries actually brand cattle and if they used to but legislation may have stopped the practice. Also what might be some of the rules regarding branding?
As far as quads disturbing cattle: actually it is just what the cattle are used to and the operator...whether quad or horse? Driving cattle has a lot more to do with "cow sense" than whether it is done on horseback or with a quad. If cattle are used to a quad you actually have no problem...same with a horse.
We should all realize, whether we like it or not, some old traditions will probably change in the near future? And the day might be very near when that "microchip" technology will be more advanced than the human eye? You might get a printout of the location of the cow as well as her temperature, respiration rate, heart rate and a complete breakdown of her history from 200 miles away!
When/if the consumer/government decide hot branding is going to end...it will. Times change and you have to change with them.

[cowman]

Willowcreek: I find it interesting you trailed them home ten miles. Around here you couldn't do that due to all the oilfield traffic! When the darned pickups travel like rockets up and down the grid roads!
We have a half section twelve miles from home and will have to truck them...which is a real pain as we don't have the corrals finished out there yet!
One more job to do before the snow flies...guess I'd better get out there with the DC welder!

[cowman]

cwilson, you have your views and I have mine, but hopefully you will note that while stating my views I have not chosen to lower myself to name-calling. Mature adults respect the views of others while choosing to disagree.

cowman, the neighbour used to trail his cows and calves from his grazing lease, had people on both horseback and quads and the cattle were well under control, but the oil industry is running full throttle here too, so he is trucking them now.

Used to be a real fall EVENT and folks would be out by their gates watching the drive and really enjoying it. Only had a couple of wrecks with cows getting into somebody's field through a bad fence or no fence, but other than that he got 250 pair home every fall without incident.

[cswilson]

Like I said Emerald your dodo bird post was wayyy off track-just called it as I saw it.

[blackjack]

...we truck a pile of cows and calves to pasture each spring and we do all the sorting with quads...even my 70 somthing year old father has had to admit that with the right guys we get it done much quicker than we did with the horses...

...as for branding...i guess it's fine not to...as long as your cattle stay at home...but until the system comes up with a better owner identification system that is more permanent and tamperproof our operation will continue to brand...
...since i also buy cattle they are all branded...how can you prove ownership otherwise...

...when it comes to castrating i'd rather know i have both testicles removed...of all the calves we buy at least 2 to 3% will have 1 nut up inside and will cause the animal much more stress at a later date...

...as far as i am concerned for those people that live in glass houses...we in the world have people that treat other people with a lot less humanity than we treat our animals...

[Willowcreek]

Cowman- I feel for you if your getting that congested- even if it brings the smell of oil money...
Actually if the weather is nice I enjoy this trail home- and this year it was beautiful- in the 70's with a little breeze- even stayed nice thru gathering the home pastures. But best during that 10 mile trail I cross nothing that could be called a road- two trails...Makes for a peaceful ride...And on years of bad weather I have after gathering and sorting the pasture on horse, swapped the horse for a pickup or 4 wheeler for the trail. Dogs do the work anyway- I'm just there to open the couple of gates and keep anyone elses cows from getting mixed in...

[cswilson]

In thge spring of 2003 I bought 100 slick hided hfr calves-they all had their I"D tags. By that time probably 20 had lost them-to sell those hfrs I had to put CCIA tags in them-so to all intenbts and purposes those hfrs appeared to be born and raised at my place. A properly applied brand at their birth herd would eliminate this problem. If you can sort off pairs on a quad-blackjack you definately know what your doing. I've spent tooo many long cold days in the fall gathering cattle that were quad spoiled to every sell my horses. You know the phonecall-"We gathered our cows yesterday but we lost 4 pairs in the bush-can you come and get them out lol."

[cswilson]

willowcreek, cwilson, I will make another comment on this post even tho I risk being considered a dodo bird, PETA lover etc.
In my area of Alberta it is just impossible to trail cattle, there are hundreds of miles of lease roads, miles and miles of crown land that is all bush with no fences or there are people living every half mile and the traffic isn't just the odd farm pickup. In cowmans area, and my area of Alberta, we share the local county roads with logging trucks, service rigs, tank trucks, rig moves etc. I agree Willowcreek that trailing the herd to pasture or home is very relaxing and certainly something that city slickers would pay big bucks to experience but unfortunately in many areas it isn't either safe or feasible anymore.

[cswilson]

Hey emerald you threw out the dodo bird label not me-we truck cattle at times too.